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At 60 years young, Victoria Cummings has returned to her educational roots. As a former student and the wife of a retired teacher, Cummings has a history with Portland Public Schools.
After retiring from her career as a naturalist, Cummings wanted to find a way to give back to the educational district she holds so dear. She had heard about AmeriCorps from her daughters, both of whom served locally with the program in the early 1990s. Cummings decided to continue the family tradition of community service by becoming a Northwest Service Academy AmeriCorps member with Portland Public Schools.
For Victoria, her placement as an Energy Conservation Coordinator has been an enlightening one. "After years of teaching outdoor education I suddenly found myself busy learning about a whole new field," Cummings said. "I've realized that every time we flip on a light switch or turn on the television we impact the environment. Now I'm able to help students and their families make that connection."
Beyond spending time in the classroom sharing her newly learned knowledge, Cummings has also made a more tangible contribution to Portland Public Schools. Last school year, she teamed with district and school staff to launch a pilot recycling program at 23 area elementary schools.
The program collected edible food that could no longer be served to students and donated it to local shelters. At the end of fiscal year 2005, more than 11,000 pounds of food had been saved from the waste stream and put to good use at St. Vincent de Paul, Blanchet House and Portland Rescue Mission.
For Cummings, the AmeriCorps experience has been rewarding. "I'd love to see more people my age volunteering with Northwest Service Academy, sharing their life experience and absorbing the energy, hope and enthusiasm embodied in the younger AmeriCorps members they will meet," she said. "It's a fantastic program and I am so grateful to have been here!" |
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